Welcome to The Sciku Project – the latest scientific and mathematical discoveries, thoughts and ideas as scientific haiku.
Latest:
In the Deep by Mike Fainzilber
darkness in the deep
by Mike Fainzilber
splitting the ocean
for a breath of fresh air
This is a haiku about oxygen production without photosynthesis, in the deep darkness of the ocean floor. A team of geoscientists discovered locations on the deep seabed of the Pacific Ocean where oxygen levels increased over time in the completely dark environment, in contrast to the dogma that oxygen production in nature must be by light-fueled photosynthesis.
The seafloor in these locations were covered with polymetallic nodules, and lab analyses of such nodules revealed them as a source of oxygen production, and also showed that they have high surface electricity (voltage). The researchers suggest that seawater electrolysis (literally splitting seawater with electricity) by the nodules can generate oxygen on the seafloor. This oxygen may be critical to sustain life in the deepest darkest region of the ocean.
Further reading:
‘Evidence of dark oxygen production at the abyssal seafloor‘, 2024, Sweetman, A.K., et al., Nature Geoscience. Available: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01480-8
‘Mystery oxygen source discovered on the sea floor — bewildering scientists‘, 2024, Castelvecchi, D., Nature. Available: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02393-7
Author bio:
Mike Fainzilber’s day job is a biologist. He began writing haiku and senryu during the pandemic, and this side effect of COVID-19 has not worn off yet. Editors in his two spheres of activity have been known to suggest that he should best restrict his efforts to the other sphere. Find out more about Mike’s research via his lab’s website and connect with him on X/Twitter @MFainzilber.
Read more sciku by Mike: ‘The deepest shade’ and ‘Jellyfish’.
A Sense of Proportion by Sravya Darbhamulla
Ciliate tuba
By Sravya Darbhamulla
When the spirit is level
Makes mu-music-math
A haiku on the inner-ear mechanisms that lead to perceptions of music: the physiology of the ear and the acoustic-electric transform; and a reference to inner-ear fluid being balanced.
Further reading:
‘Neuroanatomy, Auditory Pathway’, 2023, Peterson DC, Reddy V, Launico MV, et al., Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532311/
‘Why do humans like jazz? (evolution of music, entropy, and physics of neurons)’, 2023, Physics of Birds YouTube channel. Available: https://youtu.be/Gc5eICzHkFU?si=UTkvJ_j9yMpn1cnx
Author bio:
Sravya Darbhamulla is an archivist, translator and aspiring interdisciplinary researcher with a background in linguistics. She can be found on X/Twitter @acuriousshawl.
Down Dog by James Penha
I knew my dog sensed
by James Penha
my anxiety he scents—
and empathizes!
A new study shows that not only do dogs smell human stress, they are themselves depressed as a result.
Further reading:
‘The odour of an unfamiliar stressed or relaxed person affects dogs’ responses to a cognitive bias test’, 2024, Parr-Cortes, Z., Müller, C.T., Talas, L., Mendl, M., Guest, C., & Rooney, N.J., Scientific Reports. Available: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-66147-1
‘Dogs can smell human stress and it bums them out, study shows’, 2024, Page, S., The Washington Post. Available: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2024/08/08/dogs-smell-human-stress-study/
Author bio:
Expat New Yorker James Penha (he/him 🌈) has lived for the past three decades in Indonesia. Nominated for Pushcart Prizes in fiction and poetry, his work is widely published in journals and anthologies. His newest chapbook of poems, American Daguerreotypes, is available for Kindle. Penha edits TheNewVerse.News, an online journal of current-events poetry. You can find out more about James’ poetry on his website https://jamespenha.com and catch up with him on Twitter @JamesPenha
Enjoyed James’ sciku? Check out more of his sciku here: ‘Quantumku’, ‘DNAncient’ and ‘If a Tree Talks in a Forest’, ‘Air-Gen-Ku ‘, and ‘Boys Whale Be Boys’.
Why not join in?
The Sciku Project is always looking for submissions, send in your sciku to contact@thescikuproject.com with a brief explanation of your sciku. Find out more on the Submit page.
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